Real Mysore sandalwood is rare and costly. Because of this, much of what is sold as chandan in India today is mixed with cheaper wood, dyed, or sprayed with synthetic perfume. After four decades of supplying pure sandalwood to more than 500 temples, here are the five tests we teach our own customers.
1. The smell test
Pure sandalwood has a soft, warm, milky-sweet aroma. It is gentle, never sharp, and it deepens the longer you hold the piece. A genuine stick still carries fragrance years later.
Fake or coated wood usually smells strong the moment you open the packet — almost like perfume or alcohol — and then fades within days. If the smell hits you fast and disappears fast, be careful.
2. The weight test
Sandalwood heartwood is dense and slightly oily to the touch. A real chandan stick feels heavier than it looks for its size. Very light, airy wood is often a cheaper look-alike species.
3. The rub test
Rub the stick on a wet stone, as you would to make tilak paste. Pure sandalwood gives a smooth, creamy, pale-yellow paste, and the fragrance grows as you rub — it lingers on the skin for hours without turning bitter. Adulterated wood gives a rough or gritty paste with little aroma, fades within minutes, or smells of alcohol as the added scent evaporates.
4. The water test for red sandalwood powder
This one is for lal chandan powder. Mix a pinch in water. Dyed powder releases a bright, artificial pink or red colour almost instantly. Genuine raktachandan releases its deep, earthy red slowly and gently.
5. The only sure test: a lab report
Home tests help, but the only certain proof is laboratory testing. GC-MS analysis measures santalol — the natural compound that gives sandalwood its aroma and value. Genuine heartwood shows a clear santalol content; fakes show none.
This is why every batch we sell is third-party lab tested. If a seller cannot show you a lab report, ask yourself why.
Two more warning signs
Look at the colour and grain. Genuine white sandalwood (safed chandan) is pale yellow-brown with a fine, even grain. Red sandalwood is a deep natural maroon, not a bright artificial red. A uniform, painted-looking colour, or a powdery bloom on the surface, usually means dye.
Be realistic about price. If it seems too good to be true, it is. Sandalwood costs what it costs because the tree takes decades to mature. Cut-price “pure chandan” is nearly always blended with fillers or look-alike woods.
Buy once, buy pure
Pure sandalwood costs more — but you are paying for the real thing, not a stretched imitation. Explore our chandan for pooja, sandalwood for skincare, and japa malas.